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1969 in film
The year 1969 in film involved some significant events, with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid dominating the U.S. box office and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time and Midnight Cowboy, a film rated X, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. Events * Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980. From 1969 to 1979, the festival is non-competitive. * Al Pacino's film debut (Me, Natalie) * Elvis Presley's film career ends with the release of Change of Habit. * On August 9, Sharon Tate, the 26-year-old actress, model and Roman Polanski's wife, is murdered by Charles Manson's followers * On June 22, Judy Garland dies at age 47 of a drug overdose in London. Top-grossing films (U.S.) Films released Christmas films released in 1969 #Frosty the Snowman #Russian Santa And A Summer #The Christmas Tree #Carry On Christmas Short Film Series *''Looney Tunes'' (1930–1969) *''Merrie Melodies'' (1931–1969) *''The Pink Panther'' (1963–1969, 1971–1977, 1978–1980) *''The Inspector'' (1965-1969) *''The Ant and the Aardvark'' (1969–1971) *''Roland and Rattfink'' (1968–1971) *''Tijuana Toads'' (1969–1972) *''Woody Woodpecker'' (1941–1949, 1951–1972) *''Chilly Willy'' (1955–1972) *''The Beary Family'' (1962–1972) Actor's debuts *Bob Balaban – Midnight Cowboy *Sam Elliott – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid *Farrah Fawcett – Love Is a Funny Thing *Melanie Griffith – Smith! *Ian McKellen – Thank You All Very Much *Al Pacino – Me, Natalie *Arnold Schwarzenegger – Hercules in New York *M. Emmet Walsh – Midnight Cowboy Awards Academy Awards: *Best Picture: Midnight Cowboy - Hellman-Schlesinger, United Artists *Best Director: John Schlesinger, Midnight Cowboy *Best Actor: John Wayne – True Grit *Best Actress: Maggie Smith – The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie *Best Supporting Actor: Gig Young, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? *Best Supporting Actress: Goldie Hawn, Cactus Flower *Best Foreign Language Film: Z, directed by Costa-Gavras, Algeria Golden Globe Awards: :Drama: *Best Picture: Anne of the Thousand Days *Best Actor: John Wayne – True Grit *Best Actress: Geneviève Bujold – Anne of the Thousand Days :Musical or comedy: *Best Picture: The Secret of Santa Vittoria *Best Actor: Peter O'Toole – Goodbye, Mr. Chips *Best Actress: Patty Duke – Me, Natalie :Other :Best Director: Charles Jarrott – Anne of the Thousand Days Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival): :If...., directed by Lindsay Anderson, United Kingdom Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival): Not awarded Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival): :Rani Radovi (Early Works), directed by Želimir Žilnik, Yugoslavia Births *January 1 – Mr. Lawrence, American voice actor, comedian, writer, storyboard artist, animator and director *January 14 – Jason Bateman, American actor *January 17 – James Waterston, American actor *February 8 ** Brian Krause, American actor ** Mary McCormack, American actress *February 11 – Jennifer Aniston, American actress *March 1 – Javier Bardem, Spanish actor *April 2 – Ajay Devgan, Indian actor *April 6 – Paul Rudd, American actor *April 23 – Byron Thames, American actor *April 25 – Renée Zellweger, American actress *May 14 – Cate Blanchett, Australian actress *May 25 – Anne Heche, American actress *June 1 – Teri Polo, American actress *June 28 – Tichina Arnold, American actress *July 21 – Godfrey, American actor, comedian *July 24 – Jennifer Lopez, American actress, singer *August 4 – Vlad Ivanov, Romanian actor *August 18 ** Christian Slater, American actor ** Edward Norton, American actor *August 28 – Jack Black, American actor, comedian, musician *September 25 – Catherine Zeta-Jones, Welsh actress *September 29 – Erika Eleniak, American actress *October 15 – Dominic West, English actor *October 19 – Trey Parker, American actor, creator of South Park *November 4 – Matthew McConaughey, American actor *November 13 - Gerard Butler, Scottish actor *December 21 – Julie Delpy, French actress Deaths *January 1 – Barton MacLane, 66, American actor, The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre *January 3 – Howard McNear, 63, American actor, Anatomy of a Murder, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea *January 4 – Violet and Daisy Hilton, 60, English conjoined twins, actresses, appeared in film Freaks *January 8 – Leslie Goodwins, 69, English director, The Mummy's Curse, Mexican Spitfire *February 2 – Boris Karloff, 81, English actor, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Scarface *February 5 – Thelma Ritter, 66, American actress, Rear Window, All About Eve *February 9 – Gabby Hayes, 83, American actor, The Man from Utah, In Old Oklahoma *February 11 – James Lanphier, 48, American actor, The Pink Panther, The Party *February 27 – John Boles, 73, American actor, Frankenstein, Stella Dallas *March 18 – Barbara Bates, 43, American actress, The Caddy, All About Eve *April 23 – Krzysztof Komeda, 37, Polish composer, Rosemary's Baby, The Fearless Vampire Killers *May 24 – Mitzi Green, 48, American actress, Lost in Alaska, Skippy *March 25 – Alan Mowbray, 72, British actor, Terror by Night, My Darling Clementine *May 27 – Jeffrey Hunter, 42, American actor, The Searchers, King of Kings *June 2 – Leo Gorcey, 51, American actor, Ghost Chasers, Spook Busters *June 8 – Robert Taylor, 57, American actor, Quo Vadis, Ivanhoe *June 10 – Frank Lawton, 64, English actor, A Night to Remember, The Devil-Doll *June 13 – Martita Hunt, 70, English actress, Becket, Great Expectations *June 19 – Natalie Talmadge, 73, American silent screen actress, Our Hospitality, Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages *June 20 – Rudolf Schwarzkogler, 29, Austrian experimental filmmaker, Satisfaction *June 22 – Judy Garland, 47, American actress, The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis *July 5 – Leo McCarey, 72, American director, An Affair to Remember, Going My Way *July 8 – Gladys Swarthout, 68, American actress, Romance in the Dark *August 1 – Donald Keith, 65, American actor, The Plastic Age, Parisian Love *August 9 – Sharon Tate, 26, American actress, murdered by Charles Manson Family, wife of director Roman Polanski, The Fearless Vampire Killers, Valley of the Dolls *August 14 – Sigrid Gurie, 58, American actress, Algiers, The Adventures of Marco Polo *August 15 – William Goetz, 66, American producer, studio executive, Sayonara, Les Misérables *August 26 – Martin Miller, 69, Czech actor, 55 Days at Peking, The Pink Panther *October 12 – Sonja Henie, 57, Norwegian actress, former Olympic ice skater, Sun Valley Serenade, One in a Million *October 15 – Rod La Rocque, 70, American actor, Meet John Doe, The Shadow Strikes *November 5 – Lloyd Corrigan, 69, American actor, Son of Paleface, Ghost Chasers *December 16 – Luis Enrique Vergara, 47, Mexican filmmaker, House of Evil, Isle of the Snake People *December 22 – Ilse Steppat, 52, German actress, On Her Majesty's Secret Service References Further reading * 1969: The Year Everything Changed by Rob Kirkpatrick. Skyhorse Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-1-60239-366-0. Category:Years in film Category:1969 in film